A Love Song
by SolaireMomo
Summary: Rouge, a stripper unhappy with the current relationship with her fiance, meets up with a handsome rocker hog, and joins his band. Will sparks fly? More importantly, where does her fiance have a say in all of this?
1. Decisions

Heels clicked the floor, echoing through the room. Lights were dimmed, and the spotlight shone on one scantily clad ivory furred bat. Aisles of men crowding the stage were emptying their pockets fast, Mobian dollars practically floating around the stage. With suave movements as she danced, the bat caught them without difficulty, sticking them wherever they could fit. Allured by the bat woman's hourglass physique, the crowd hooted and hollered for more. As for the bat herself, she was merely down to a skinny pink thong, the rest of her garments thrown into the hungry audience. Her leather, knee-high black six inch heeled stilettos clicked once more as she sashayed around the lit stage, seducing her attentive audience. With a slow spin around the pole, she taunted them with a blow of a kiss, also signifying the end of her stripper act.

"_Give it up for…. __**Diamond Leatherlick**__!" _a voice boomed from a loudspeaker. The crowd screamed their approval of a good show. The voluptuous bat sensuously strutted backstage, past the next stripper. Her job was done for the night. It was time to head on home.

And once she gets dressed, her alias dissipates, and she becomes herself again. Rouge the Bat. Finally returning home, she had finished counting up her fat paycheck while she walked up the porch steps. "Not bad…" she murmured. "Soon, it'll be time to splurge for more jewelry!" She glanced at the cracked doorbell, mentally noting herself to get that fixed soon. After lightly knocking on the door, her sensitive hearing picked up the noise of footsteps. Faint at first, but it grew closer… then a random _**THUD**_, followed by profane language, random shuffling, then the footsteps continued, and finally, locks switching and the familiar _creeeaaaak_ of the door opening. Her fiancé, Knuckles the Echidna, held the door open as she stepped inside. "Hey hun, how much today?" he asked after closing the door, grabbing her hands and pulled her close to him, their noses touching. The ivory furred female giggled. "More than the last time... I'll leave it at that." With a chuckle, the scarlet echidna moved in for a small peck on her lips. "You must really know what you're doing…" Again, Rouge giggled. "You and I both know you know _damn_ well I know what I'm doing."

For a while, Knuckles was appalled by the idea of Rouge's new night job. The images of ugly old men drooling at his beautiful wife-to-be was nonetheless stomach wrenching, but the first paycheck she brought home changed his mind instantly. It also had him realize how attractive she must really be, and he began to appreciate her beauty more. Just knowing that men continuously beg for a girl they can never catch and women envy her with constant hate on her looks and attitude, who all strive to be better than her but fail. In his mind, he's a lucky guy hooked arm-in-arm with a true goddess for a wife, just about—and he can rub it in whenever he wanted. He had bragging rights of marrying the illustrious Diamond Leatherlick of Eternal Desire, Station Square's hottest strip club joint. Of course, he's not this rash to anyone and wouldn't pierce his lips to admit this, unless provoked. Not only that, but Rouge forbade him not to talk about her new job to anyone, besides the few who already know. If they find out, they'd have to discover it on their own. Respecting her wishes, he does as told, like a good little boy. As for his job, he picks up decent pay as a janitor at a nearby hospital. It's not a fun job, nor his general key of interest in the least, but he wanted something to start out with before he moved up to something better, since he's never had previous job experience at all. When he moved in with Rouge, he had to find something to help him pay for all the utilities, and the lot. He does his daytime shift as Rouge spends her time cleaning the house and doing her usual routine until he comes back. They spend an hour together before she is off to her night job, arriving back around an hour before midnight.

Their income was quite steady, and they provide themselves with a decent living. Knuckles is nearing the point of saving enough money to buy a diamond ring for his fiancé. Rouge, with her obvious fascination of luxurious, shiny jewelry, will be enticed by the elegance of the twenty-four carat diamond ring as he lay on one knee proposing to her. Visual predictions, stuck on repeat in his head, cause the eager echidna to come closer to making it into a reality. And he would, soon…he hopes.

The couple had long since left the door and fell into passionate make-out session on the couch. Their tongues intertwined intimately. Knuckles' hands roamed around the bat's body, unbuttoning her jacket slowly. Gently breaking away, she continued the process of removing her jacket as the echidna's hungry gaze fell upon her bust, ready to bust out of the pink halter top. His large hands grasped the top as he softly kissed her neck, and pulled back to continue removing it over her head. Out popped her large breasts from their cloth prison, perky as ever. Rouge giggled as she shifted herself more onto his lap, feeling a lump forming in the pants of her lover. Moving back just slightly, she unbuttoned the eager echidna's jeans, and almost on instant the bulge that was held back sprung forth through the opening. Even through the boxers it was apparent. She slid the jeans down with the boxers midway, so that they were down enough to release his full measurement, adjusting herself so that she wouldn't have to move while doing so. Knuckles' hands grabbed her behind, hidden under her tight fitting skirt. Upon performing such an action he discovered happily that she wasn't wearing any panties this time. Perfect. Licking her lips, the bat rested her hands on the echidna's shoulders, steadying herself over his throbbing stiffness. Grinning sensually, Knuckles could feel the warm wetness of her opening rub the top of his dick. His hands, still gripping her posterior, pushed her down on his length. The white bat gasped, a shock of pleasure blasting through her spine, through her whole body. Struggling for another breath and hungry for more, she took in his size, sliding down until she could feel it deep inside her warm walls, and slowly rose. A snug fit on his thickness, as this has been practiced on more than one occasion.

Rouge moaned softly, setting herself in a motion. His length hardening, Knuckles grunted while the bat increased her speed. Her thighs throbbed as she rose and fell, the rushes of ecstasy dizzying her into a state of sub consciousness. Her aching desire for sex controlled her movements now. Both of them began to perspire as the heat between them began to spark. Holding a vice grip on her fiancé's shoulders, she squeezed her eyes shut, gasping quietly in short, quick breaths. Their intense friction shook the couch as things heated up, the bat becoming more aggressive with her movement. The echidna moaned and shifted his legs so that he would be deeper inside of her. Fast paced gasps transformed into moans of deep satisfaction, and Rouge was beginning to reach that point of orgasm.

_RRRRRRRRRING! RRRRRRRRING!_

Behind the thick pocket of jeans, that lay midway around Knuckles' thighs, was the unruly ringtone of his cellular phone, disturbing their lovemaking. It would seem that this call may be important, as Knuckles was very quick to carefully place Rouge off of him.

The term "carefully" was used oh so loosely.

The echidna tossed his wife-to-be off of his lap, introducing her to the carpet of the floor. He reached for the ringing contraption and flipped it open. "Hello?" It's a wonder how he could hear, as he lacked ears. But that's how echidnas worked apparently. Pulling up his jeans and zipping up the opening, he totally ignored his aggravated fiancé who lay on the floor, fuming so terribly that one could cook eggs on her skull.

Slightly out of breath, Knuckles continued his conversation with the person on the device. "Heh… I forgot game night was tonight. Your house or mine?" A pause. "Okay man, I'll be over there in a few. See ya there Esp, and I'll bring the beer while I'm at it." Closing the phone and ending the call, he continued to ignore Rouge's existence by resuming straightening himself out. The bat grit her teeth, growling in an animalistic fashion that was beyond frightening. It startled the echidna, who started feeling bad vibes, and he turned to stare into blood boiling aquamarine eyes, responding with a half-hearted question.

"You mad?"

"FOURTH fucking time, Knuckles! **FOURTH **fucking time!" Rouge shrieked, jerking her arm and aimed at him with a menacing finger that could probably shoot bullets, as angry as she was. "I'm sorry babe, but I can't miss game night." The irritable bat opened her palm and proceeded to count her fingers. "Let's see… you can't miss thaaaat, or pool niiiight, or poker niiiiight, or basketball niiiight, or fight niiiight….."

"..Okay, you have a point, but seriously, I can't miss tonight!"

"BUT SERIOUSLY, you can't miss those either."

The echidna sighed. "I promise I'll try to cut it out." Rouge folded her arms, batting her long lashes in irritation. "You said that two weeks ago." Her bottom lip stuck out, further displaying her aggravation.

"Okay, miss pouty pants."

Angered, the silence broke with a loud flap of her enormous bat wings. "I HAVE EVERY _REASON_ TO BE LIKE THIS!! I can't even spend less than an hour with the very man that is going to be my goddamn HUSBAND without one of your _'BUTT BUDDIES'_ calling you to go somewhere!!"

"They're not my butt buddies!" the echidna barked.

"They might as well be, you spend more time with _them_ than you do with me!"

Guilt showering the scarlet mole, his eyes glued to the carpet as he started to regret his decisions. "If this is what I'm going to deal with when we're married… If I have to share my own husband with his stupid friends… I'm not sure if I'm going to be up for that." Rouge stated as she finished dressing back up. She grabbed her purse and with a swing of her hips in an arrogant flair, she headed for the door. "Go on. Have your fun now. I'll be back whenever you are." And with that, she walked out the door. Knuckles' brow was still fixed upon an expression of grief as his forehead met the palm of his hand. Shaking his head, he sluggishly shuffled his way out of the door.

Glorious moonlight shone of grass as they flowed in the gentle night breeze. An unclouded night sky full of bright white stars as luminous as fresh jewelry. Even around this time of night the city streets were bustling, but not as hectic as they would be during the daytime. People still walked the streets normally, like they would during the day. Lovers of the night life, accustomed to the serenity of the dark sky. Most of the time these people would hit the late night club joints, gamble and lose money at casinos, hang out on the street and cause trouble, women would prostitute themselves on the corners of the blocks, and so much more negative activities go on through the night. Being a nightwalker herself, Rouge prefers such a life. Being naturally nocturnal has its benefits, after all. Her high heels clicked against the pavement as she absorbed the excitement of the city lights around her. She was often fascinated by how brightly lit Station Square is during the night. It beautifies the entire city, and is indeed quite a site for a city of such an enormous size.

Unsure of where to go, she decided to walk the streets. Ignorant of the stares from perverted men and snobby looks from some of their jealous girlfriends, the ivory bat continued her way down the street. Finally figuring somewhere she could go, she made a left on the corner and proceeded to visit the Grand Fountain.

Four big tiers of steel, increasing in size from top to bottom, were overwhelmed by streams of beautiful sapphire stained water, shining in the lunar light. At times, certain holes in the fountain would squirt towers of water up like mini fireworks. The bottom tier of the fountain, the largest of all, was adorned with rocks of crystal that shone ever so brightly against the moon's glow. Rouge was always captivated by this elegant fountain, and deems it her favorite resting place, where she could think to herself about things. Rarely do people stop by, keeping tranquility in the area. A black steeled medium-high gate surrounded the entire aqua showcase. Rouge had entered the fountain area, and with a flap of her wings, boosted her small hop onto the top of the gate. She sat there, marveling at the sky in deep thought. In her mind she debated whether a future marriage life would be in order, as Knuckles being the way he currently is now is indeed making her want to blow a casket. They can barely do anything in the short time they see each other every day, due to their conflicting jobs. She began to think of the way things used to be, when they met back in senior year of high school, always ditching classes to spend time together. They both had to end up getting a GED in order to obtain any jobs in the first place, since they dropped out of high school to be with each other and build their own life. Rouge's friends were pissed off at her for making such a decision, but in these last few years things have changed for the better. But now, are things heading downhill? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps nearby, causing her sensitive ears to twitch in response. Her eyes shifted from the night sky to a black figure. A black hedgehog to be exact. Red streaked the center of his six spiky quills that poked through the hood on his head. An emerald hung loosely from a skinny silver chain around his neck, and it shone against the lunar light. Hands embedded deep in the mysterious pockets of his jacket, his chain belt was starting to jingle louder than his footsteps as he approached closer to the gate. _Shink-shink…Shink-shink…_

Intrigued by the enigmatic aura of the male hedgehog, the bat studied his facial features closely, making mental notes to herself that he wasn't bad looking… at all. Flawlessly handsome. The hedgehog took into account the bat's sudden fascination with him and averted his blood red irises at her with a cool smirk. "Someone like you hanging out here? I wouldn't have guessed." He had a smooth tone, with a bit of edginess hidden in some places. The pearl furred bat raised a brow in question. "You know who I am, kid? I usually don't come this way a lot at night."

"I can recognize Ms. Diamond Leatherlick anywhere with a face like that," he responded. "Funny someone with good looks like you would have a retarded sounding alias like that," he cracked with a chuckle.

"Hey!!" Rouge snapped. "That happens to be a pretty sexy sounding name, mind you…"

"Whatever floats your boat. Just remember everyone is not going to like everything." He shrugged. "I just hope your _real_ name's better."

"Riiiight…. And it's Rouge by the way. I'm only referred to my alias at the club."

The hedgehog's glare softened, and his smirk increased into a slight grin. "…fair enough. The name's Shadow." Suavely, he retracted his hand from his pocket and held it out to her, gesturing a friendly handshake. "It's a pleasure."

Distracted by the spikes on the black wristband he wore, Rouge politely returned the friendly gesture. The hedgehog's scarlet irises studied her features closely as he pulled his hand from hers. She stared back into his icy glare. Those eyes were deep enough to stare into the depths of one's very soul and frighten them for eternity. "You really are a looker, but more for your facial features than the rest of you." He joined her on the top of the gate with a single hop and plop, closing his eyes as he continued. "I'm a pretty modest guy." It was then that it occurred to the bat that there was a giant bag on his back. It looked more like a guitar case. She inspected it from a distance, wanting to ask about it but the hedgehog already noticed her interest in the case.

"Yeah, I love playing my guitar. It's a hobby." Shadow shifted so that he sat closer to her. "I actually have my own home band, with a couple of my friends who are just as good as I am." He unstrapped the case from his back and pulled it in front of him, laying it on his lap. Rouge, a bit too intrigued, reached for and opened the case. Hidden inside was a heavily adorned red and black electric guitar. It shone in the light of the moon, a sign that he took more than great care of it. Taking a finger and rubbing the base of it, Shadow's smirk grew as he examined his work of art. "I can shred notes easily with this thing. I love my guitar…"

He took it out and played a small tune. The electrical notes ripped through the silence of the night, its heavy volume startling the bat upon instant. Her ears adjusted to the abrupt noises and gradually she began to like it. "You're pretty good!" she exclaimed as he finished.

"Thank you… I take a lot of pride in practicing with this. It's my love," he explained, strumming the strings a bit, the low hum playing in the background as he went on. "We're actually open for a new spot for our four person band…. A good friend of mine died in a car crash last year and we've been needing a new addition. She was lead singer…"

Rouge's ears perked. "Well….that just reminded me of my childhood! I sang a lot when I was younger. I passed my music classes without flinching, I was in every choir, and I used to sing at shows before I got tired of it…"

"Hmm…" the hedgehog smirked, inventively matching her gaze with his cool one. "You rusty at all?" he questioned.

"I guess we'll have to see, huh?" she answered with a cutesy giggle. Shadow grinned in amusement. "_Now_ I'm interested…"

Clearing her throat, the bat was ready to start. She released a soft, beautiful sounding note. Starting at a medium volume, it later heightened, but it was soft the whole time. "_Do re mi fa so la ti do…._" she sang for more assurance. Indeed, she still had her vocal luster, and this had Shadow stunned in amazement.

"…quite enthralling, Miss Rouge. I'm impressed." He finally responded. "I would ask if you'd be interested but I assume your schedule is already pretty busy…"

She shrugged. "Nah, not really. I can deal with it. When do you all meet up?"

"Around this time, actually…"

"Well! I can just stop by right after I leave the club, so it's no stress on me!" she happily declared, obviously not caring that Knuckles would be at home, waiting…or not. Of course he'll have _better_ things to do with his friends, right?

"Sweet." Shadow closed his eyes. "I really appreciate your pitching in. You should fit in well with the rest of the band."

"And when will I meet them all?" Rouge asked, cocking a brow.

"Now. Follow me…" He hopped off of the gate and hit the ground with a perfect landing. Spreading her wings, Rouge floated back to the ground beside him, and they left the fountain area The bat would follow the hedgehog to his hangout, his garage…


	2. Fitting In

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've had this written for a while but keeping up with school projects and art related things kept me from finishing. I'm so happy people like this story. It's because of you guys that I'll try my best to keep this updated as much as possible. **

The loud hum of the garage door lifting had vibrated the ground under their feet. Once it reached the top, inside were instruments plugged into the walls while carefully placed around the neat garage. A drum set, a microphone, two loud speakers in the back corners, a keyboard, and an extra guitar case that Rouge figured didn't belong to the ebony hedgehog beside her. After further speculation, she followed Shadow inside, through which he walked up to a door that led to the inside of his apartment. Shadow told the bat to wait there as she gathered the rest downstairs. "I don't want you wandering through my house. I don't trust you enough," he added. "Shit might get stolen."

The bat scoffed. "Honestly!" But the hedgehog continued up the stairs casually, his chain creating a rhythm upon each step he took. Rouge yawned, folded her arms and rested her back against the wall, taking into account not to rest against it too much or she would harm her wings. Her heels clicked, signaling the impatience through the tapping of her foot. Voices could be heard from the upper level, but to her ears they were mumbles. She tried to identify them but she couldn't match any voices with faces in her head. The creak of the door opening and footsteps echoing the halls had Rouge brace for what she would be acquainting with. "Hey hey hey little lady!!" a triumphant, nasal sounding cerulean hedgehog exclaimed as he reached the bottom of the stairs. His quills were slightly ruffled, and he sported black over-tee with a black and white stripe long sleeved t-shirt under it. His black jeans were ripped in some places, and he had a chain belt also, but it was broken. The broken ends hung from his sides lazily. He approached the ivory coated bat with a toothy grin. She could feel his jade eyes examining her curves, and gave him a silent annoyed growl. "Whoa Shadow, you weren't kidding! She's a total babe!" In question, the bat shot the black hedgehog a confused stare, and Shadow avoided while clearing his throat. "Don't listen to that retard."

The other hedgehog chuckled. "Chill out peeps. The name's Sonic by the way." He winked at the bat, who returned it with a disgusted glare. _'This is one annoying prick….' _She thought to herself. Behind him, an irritable short-quilled female pink hedgehog made her way down the steps. "Sonic, do I have to hit you _again!?_" She sported a magenta and ebony striped tank top, and a miniskirt that loosely hung from her hips. A huge, studded belt wrapped diagonally around the top of her hips, with a shiny black gem stone shaped into a heart inside of the middle of it. Her knee-high, gothic black boots had no heels, and her socks adorned the same stripey pattern as her shirt. However, the amount of black eyeliner and mascara she wore was too much for Rouge's taste. And she looked as if she had a bit of black eye shadow, as she blinked. The bat shook her head solemnly. Tsk tsk. The girl needs a lesson or two in applying makeup!

The rosey hedgehog yanked Sonic's arm, hooking it in with hers as she gave him an evil wink. "Do I have to leash you again, big boy?" she teased with a creepy giggle. The cobalt hedgehog shot back a tiger growl, and the bat rolled her eyes to herself. Shadow just shrugged. "That's Amy for you." A shriek ripped through the air, causing Rouge's eyes to bulge slightly as her gaze averted quickly to the stairs and met with an orange blur rapidly tumbling down the stairway. Sonic stifled laughter, but Amy broke out into a roar of nasal-high laughter, irritating Rouge almost instantly. It sounded like a cross between a dying goat and a horse neighing. A little aggravated fox boy hopped right back onto his feet, glaring straight at the noisy female. Rouge debated to herself whether it was a kid or a midget—"Shut the _FUCK_ up you stupid punk **BITCH!**"—and judging by the voice, he was a potty-mouthed brat.

The fox sported a black jacket with shredded bottoms, chained baggy black jeans, rugged sneakers, and dyed black tips on his forehead bangs and the tips of his tails. The bat shook her head. _'The emo look has been sorely abused….'_ She thought to herself as the pink hedgehog screamed back to the bratty fox. Shadow sighed, his brow furrowing at the behavior of his band-mates. "Could you all please… shut the fuck up…" the hedgehog growled through gritted teeth. Ten minutes passed until they could get themselves together and proceed to the garage, where they would commence with practice. Rouge patiently waited, watching the others test their instruments for tuning. Sonic grabbed his royally blue guitar, with black flames surrounding the edges and a white lining on the rim. He strummed it with his pick, strumming the strings one by one to generate a constant hum alterating in tone. His ear twitched as he listened. When he completed the sound test, he announced that it was playing good. As the yellow fox boy tested his drum set, Amy tested her electrical keyboard. The bat glanced at Shadow, who was coming her way holding a microphone. "For you, miss newcomer…" he handed the mic to her and continued on his way, unstrapping the guitar case on his back. Rouge stared at the mic. The cylinder that held the voice device in place was decorated with shiny studs, slightly spiky. Intrigued, she continued to stare until the sound of the ebony hedgehog's edgy voice interrupted her attention. "Alright… before we continue with the songs we created, we need to rehearse with our new member. To do that, let's practice with regular songs…" His scarlet irises locked with her aquamarine ones in question. "Pick a random song. If we know it, we will play it, and of course, you do the singing."

The bat brought a hand to her chin, her brows shifting in thought. Tilting her head to the left slowly while staring into space, her brain racked for any songs she knew all of the words to. It took her three minutes to decide, and once she did, she relayed the information for the rest of the gang. The others looked at one another for reassurance and nodded in unison. "That should do…" Shadow replied in his usual cool tone. "I've actually done a number or two on this song before…." The pink hedgehog scratched her head. "I sorta remember… I've heard it once or twice, but I should be able to imitate it," she stated, taking a little pride into her long term memory. With a beat of the drum, Tails, as he was referred to by his friends, signaled he could do it with a hint of arrogance. Sonic just shrugged. Gripping his guitar, the leading hedgehog took one more look at his band-mates before signaling that they were ready to practice.

About an hour from when they first started, their session was finished for the night. As the rest were putting their instruments where they belonged, Shadow faced the white bat. "Your voice is amazing, Miss Rouge," he complimented. The flattered bat giggled. "Thank you! I haven't done this in such a long time. I've been reminded at how much I used to enjoy singing." Closing his eyes, his smirk softened. "I see…well you were gifted, and well honed." The bat thanked him again, and checked her watch. It was extremely late, but she passed it off as nothing. "So….same time here?" she asked. Shadow nodded. "Since I don't work on weekends, I can probably spend more time here to practice with you guys," Rouge eagerly added. "You don't have to take out all of your time to come here. Don't you have other things to do?" The bat nodded. "But not too much! I have too much leisure time on the weekend. It's fine, really!"

Looking away slightly, the hedgehog's glare loosened in thought. "Hm… if you say so." With another flirty giggle, the voluptuous bat was on her way out. "Ta ta for now, Shads!" Twitching, Shadow's expression wrinkled into confusion. "Shads?" he uttered finally. "It's either that or Shadsie. A cutie deserves a cute little nickname, right?" she replied as she looked over her shoulder to the hedgehog with a wink. Flustered, he quickly turned away with tinted cheeks, listening to the _click-clack_ of her heels, fading away into the night.

Images of the past hour played through her mind like a slideshow. She felt as if she enjoyed herself more than she should have. It was the best fun she's had in so long. She was ecstatic! And damn, that black hedgehog was really good looking…when she finally realized her thoughts were trailing off into images of Shadow, she immediately shook her head to rid of them. Finally leaving those behind, she focused on what she _didn't _want to see when she got home, or who, rather… and if he is home. The porch steps creaked upon each step Rouge took until she approached the front door. Feelings of irritation bubbled in her stomach as she awaited the opening of the door. Just about the same process as before was heard: nearing footsteps, thud, random cursing, shuffling, footsteps begin to sound closer, locks switching, and the door slowly opening. The bat frowned hard, and the already shameful echidna averted his gaze to the ground. "Have fun?" she asked while walking past him nonchalantly. "Yeah..I-I guess…" he responded hesitantly, questioning to himself quietly as to whether or not that was a rhetorical question. He watched the bat glide up the stairs, wondering what she spent the last hour or so doing. "Eh, probably went to see Tikal… I doubt she might answer me if I asked. She's in one of those moods." He closed the door. _'And it's my fault that she is…'_ "Dammit…" he dragged himself upstairs and walked in on her changing into her nightgown. Here, he figured this would be his chance to make it all up to her. Rouge was easy to please… or so he thought.

The pearl furred bat was slowly pulling the silk rose gown over her curves gently, her back turned to the door. She seemed to fumble with getting it to fit over her wings; one of the downs of being a bat. The echidna snuck up on his fiancé quietly and gave her a sneaky hug, playfully growling. In a matter of seconds, he flew and hit the wall across from her. The bat continued to slip on the gown, yawning. Knuckles quickly jumped back to his feet, a little taken aback by the throw. She's definitely been working out more. "Geez, was that necessary?" He questioned. Rouge sat n the bed and pulled back the cover. "Payback's a bitch, in'nit?" Rolling his eyes, Knuckles mumbled as he took off his shirt. "I apologized, you know…" The bat scoffed as she settled under the sheets. "Sorry isn't enough once you've done the same thing more than once, now is it?" Down to his boxers, Knuckles proceeded to lay in bed beside his fiancé."Oh well, I still am sorry… even if you don't forgive me…" His head hit the pillow with a large _thump_ and Rouge clicked the lamp off on the nightstand next to her.

* * *

When the sun began to rise, it kicked off that Friday morning. Snoring lightly, the crimson streaked ebony hedgehog slumbered peacefully in the junky room of the rented apartment he shared with his band-mates. His quills, usually up-kept and neat, were messy and everywhere as he slept. An arm hung lazily over the side of the bed as his subtle snoring vibrated his scarlet pillowcase. He murmured a bit in his sleep.

The door flew open and smashed into the wall, just about, since the force of the opening was so rough. Sonic alarmed the black hedgehog with the banging of a spoon in a pan. "Yo yo! Time to getchur ass up boy!" he shouted cheerfully. Following a series of irritable grunts, Shadow sat up, straightening his quills out a little with one hand, and rubbing the sleep from his eyes with another. Chuckling, the blue hedgehog knocked him upside the head with the spoon. "Ow! _Shit!_" Shadow, caught off guard, held his head in pain. "Son of a bitch!" Sonic burst into laughter before dashing out of the room, with the angry hedgehog following suit….with a rifle.

A series of missed gunshots later, the gang sat at the table together. A very scratched up table. Tails had his bare feet on the table reading a torn up newspaper that he probably rummaged through a garbage can for. Amy ate her cereal peacefully, until something tickled her nose. Something unpleasant.

"Ew Tails, your fuckin' feet STINK!" she yelled. The fox boy ripped the newspaper in half, glaring at her. "Sonic, get your stupid bitch before I hurt her!!" Sonic shook his head and gently grabbed Amy's wrist, removing the knife she was going to assault Tails with by tossing it at his head. "Ames, chill out, babe." The coral hedgehog rolled her eyes. "How are you friends with that….thing!?"

"You're the thing here. I mean, how can Sonic date something as obnoxiously annoying and _ugly_ as you? I don't get it." Tails stated irritably while sipping coffee. Amy's eye twitched uncontrollably as he went on. "Also, are you still prepubescent, because for all the time that I've known you, I don't recall seeing any tits on your chest like most girls your age." Shadow almost choked on his cereal, stopping abrupt laughter that would have worsened things. The female hedgehog, trembling and growling, stabbed a knife into the table before jumping up and throwing herself at the fox in a matter of seconds, screaming like a banshee. "A-Amy!!!" Sonic shrieked while she and the fox began to engage in physical altercation.

Shadow left the kitchen madness and entered the tranquility of the living room, his mind in another place. Images of the bat woman ran through his mind. He was intrigued with her a lot for some odd reason. "I look forward to seeing her again tonight…." He mumbled quietly to himself with a smirk. He sat on the couch, still in deep contemplation of the woman. He admired everything about her. Notably her appearance; silk, radiant skin. Beautiful face. Pretty aquamarine eyes that shone brightly when she was excited. A charming little grin that he deemed sort of….cute. Her stunning curves. Everything about her, even her vibrant but enigmatic personality, her will to try new things and ideas… he enjoyed it all. Being around her gave Shadow the funniest feeling in the world. It was a feeling he'd never felt before. He didn't comprehend it. What's going on? "Hm…" the hedgehog glanced at the floor with blank eyes. He zoned out from reality, crossing into the borders of his intricate imagination. He stayed there for a while before the sound of his name being called shattered his thoughts like a spear through glass. "Hm?" He looked up at Sonic. "Dude, you were like… dead lookin'. I had to make sure you were still there." Sonic plopped onto the couch beside him, swiping the remote and turning on the television. "So…Amy and Tails?" Shadow questioned. "Locked in their own rooms," the blue hedgehog replied boredly. "It's pretty bad that they have to be treated like little kids."

Shadow slightly nodded in agreement, while looking away. He started to trail off into the depths of his mind again. He just couldn't wait to see her again….


End file.
